The Little One
by Kate Beckett's Golden Snitch
Summary: They didn't know they would get so attached to her. Based on spoilers for 6x10
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey everyone! This is a really quick oneshot based on spoilers for 6x10. Enjoy, my loves!

She woke early, craving the warmth and comfort of another person. Instead, she shifted to find his side of the bed empty and rather cold. Exhaling loudly, she ran a hand through her hair and squinted at the doorway. A soft light seemed to be coming from downstairs. Swinging her legs to the edge of bed, she stood up and yawned, looking at the small electric clock on the bedside table.

Three thirty. Three thirty in the morning.

As much as she wanted to just fall back into her bed, curiosity and some crazy cop instinct made her begin to wander down the stairs.

A lamp was alight on the little table beside the couch, and she could see a shadow on the wall, pacing back and forth. Continuing to the bottom of the stairs, the sight of him, shirtless, walking around the floor, made her raise an eyebrow. Then he turned around, and she saw the baby pressed to his chest.

"Did she wake up?" Rick looked up and smiled gently.

"You can go back to sleep, Kate. I got her." But she walked towards him and reached for the little girl.

"How about I hold her while you go put a shirt on?" He leaned towards her, and she smiled as she felt his body heat on her chest. She could feel the small, warm body being transferred to her, and her smile grew as she moved away from him, holding her tightly. Inhaling deeply, the sweet scent of baby filled her nostrils. "How long has she been up?"

"Just fifteen minutes." His lips pressed onto the back of her head as lightly as a butterfly. "She just wanted to be held."

"Sweet girl." The detective's thumb caressed the soft down on the baby's head, and she moved to sit on the sofa near the lamp. The little one, obviously sleepy, nuzzled her head into Kate's chest and cooed quietly.

"You want some coffee?" She nodded, looking up at him.

"Might as well. I don't think I'll be heading back to bed again." Kate's eyes moved back down to the baby, and they softened considerably. "I'd rather stay with you, baby."

"Have you found any legal guardians yet?" Rick's voice drifted in from the kitchen, the sounds of the coffee machine in the background. "Or do we get her for a little longer?"

"There's an aunt somewhere in Denver, but we're not totally sure if she wants Izzy." She adjusted the little girl so that her head was resting on her shoulder, and her small fists began clutching onto Kate's sleeve. "We've got her for a while yet." He appeared around the corner of the room, clutching two mugs of coffee. Moving towards her, he put a mug onto the table and sat in the space beside her.

"Murder's an awful, horrible thing." He murmured, taking a sip of his coffee. "She's too young to know that her parents are gone."

"Believe me, I know." Kate replied, rubbing the baby's back softly. "God, I wish things like this didn't exist."

"I hardly remember when Alexis was this small." Rick commented, touching one of the tiny hands. "She would always grab my hand and stare up at me." He reached for Izzy, and she placed her into his waiting arms. "She was a little like you, Isabella." Enunciating her name, he stroked her baby cheek, letting her lie on his lap. Izzy's mouth was open in a small o, and her pale eyelids began to flutter shut.

"You gonna go back to sleep, baby?" Kate smiled, resting her head against his shoulder and placing a hand on his. "She really is a sweet little girl."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

She holds onto the baby carrier tightly, walking to her spot in the familiar old precinct. Izzy was asleep, and a pink blanket was hiding her from view. Javi smiled at her, moving his gaze from his computer.

"You brought her today." She nodded, sitting in her chair and placing the carrier on the floor. "Was she up early?"

"Around three fifteen." Her foot began absently pushing down on the carrier, making it rock softly back and forth. "Rick was up with her before I was." He smirked, getting up and moving to sit in her fiancée's usual spot.

"You two're acting like new parents." Javi said, lifting the pink blanket off slightly. The little girl's face was relaxed, eyes closed and breathing gently. She was small for a three month old, and Kate, even though she wasn't her real parent, had developed an odd sense of protectiveness towards her. She adjusted the blanket providing heat for Izzy, and her mouth relaxed into a sweet smile.

"I don't know how we're going to let her go, Javi." Her voice was soft, as gentle as when she talked to the baby. "We're both getting really, really attached to her."

"You never know what could happen." He replied simply, and she shrugged. He was right.

AN: What did you all think? Do you want me to continue with this? Any predictions for 6x10?

xoxo,

J


	2. Chapter 2

AN: GUYS YOU'RE ALL SO AMAZING THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK ON THIS STORY! Also, I started this story before it was announced that the baby in 6x10 was a boy, so that is why Izzy exists. Enjoy!

Izzy was giggling, reaching her tiny palms up towards Javier's face. He puffed out his cheeks and crossed his eyes, making the little girl's laughter grow louder. She looked so sweet, lying on his lap.

It made Kate smile.

She held onto her cup of coffee, peering absentmindedly through the break room window. Javi, beneath his rock hard exterior, was a really sweet-hearted man. As she watched, he tickled Izzy's chest, making her squirm with delight. His smile was bright, his eyes almost twinkling, and he scooped the baby into his arms and held her close. Kate turned around, putting a hand against the counter and leaning against it. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. Lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to her, but, honestly, she didn't mind. It was her job, for one thing. And then there was the sheer fact that holding Izzy, looking after Izzy, made her happy. She knew it made Rick feel the same way, and it made her really wonder if they could actually handle a baby someday. That crazy man who had claimed to be a time traveler had said they would end up with three kids, anyways. Rick had joked with her about that numerous times since.

But Izzy was a special little girl. She was always smiling, always giggling, and had adapted to different arms very quickly. She could easily fall asleep, nestled into the crook of Kate's elbow, leaning against Rick's chest, or even on her blanket on the floor.

She saw Kevin Ryan walk through the break room door, and moved away from the counter that had previously been holding her weight.

"Hey." She said, sipping her beverage and relaxing as she felt the hot liquid fill her mouth. He moved towards her, and the closer he came, the more noticeable the bags under his eyes became. "You look tired."

"Jenny was super uncomfortable last night." He replied, adjusting his slightly crooked tie and moving to stand next to her, starting the coffee machine. "I stayed up with her until about four in the morning."

"Only a few more days until her due date, right?" He nodded, and Kate's smile grew. "That's so exciting, Kev." He smiled, biting his lip and looking at the fresh drink brewing in his mug.

"So Izzy's aunt's flying in on Monday." Kate raised an eyebrow, moving to sit on the couch and running a hand through her loose hair.

"Is she actually going to take her?"

"Looks like it. She signed adoption papers this morning." He sat next to her, resting the mug on his thigh, and looked at her almost tenderly. "I know you love Isabella, Kate, but this is her family."

"I know." Her voice was quiet, and she stared down at her coffee, trying to hide the slight unsettlement in her face.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The little girl was pressed against her chest, whimpering softly as she adjusted her little blanket over her. Her back was pressed against the sofa, and her hands supported Izzy very gently.

"You still tired, little girl?" Kate murmured, pressing her lips to the baby's temple. "One nap just isn't long enough for you, huh?" Izzy, in turn, closed her eyes and yawned, scrunching up her tiny face. She giggled, running her thumb down the baby's torso. "If you need to fall asleep, just fall asleep."

Gates, after seeing Kate sitting in the precinct with Izzy in her lap, had told her rather strictly that she should go home. The detective had looked up to protest, but there was tenderness in the woman's eyes that Kate had hardly ever seen before.

"Your job in this case, detective," She had said simply, looking down at the baby's head supported by Kate's elbow. "Is to take care of Isabella. Let the boys deal with this one."

"Are you sure, sir?" Her reply had been had gentle; it had seemed as though Izzy had begun to drift off in her arms. Her boss had nodded, her lips pulling into a slight smile.

"You're looking after her for a reason." Kate had nodded, beginning to stand up while pulling the little girl even tighter against her chest. "Now get going, detective. Work on planning that wedding of yours, if you have time."

It always felt odd being in the loft during the time that she would usually be at work. But at the same time, she could use the break. Stress had been extremely high the past couple of weeks, and being in a different setting helped her relax a bit.

She adjusted Izzy so that she was lying lengthwise on her thighs, and placed a supportive hand on her chest. The swing that Rick had pulled out from Alexis's childhood was only a few steps away, but Kate couldn't bring herself to place the little one in it. Even though she only had a few more days with Izzy, she was going to absorb every moment of being with her.

The doorbell rang loudly, making the baby begin to whimper again. Kate sighed, pulling her close, into a cradle hold, and began murmuring to her softly as she stood up. Rick was still at a publishers meeting, so she was the only one in the loft to answer the door. Adjusting Izzy to one arm, she twisted the modern doorknob and pulled the door open. Standing in the hallway, a smile on his face and a bag in his hand, was her father.

"Dad?"

"Hey, Katie." Jim Beckett surveyed his daughter, and a look of confusion appeared on his face as his eyes fell on the baby against her chest. "You got something to tell me?" She laughed, beckoning him inside and shutting the door behind him.

"Vic's daughter. Gates wanted Rick and I to look after her." He visibly relaxed, and the two consecutively moved towards the sofa. She sat on the far side, still softly bouncing Izzy in her arm.

"How are you, Dad?" Her voice had gone back down to a murmur, still calming the little girl. He smiled again, placing his bag on the ground with a soft thud. "What brought you here today?"

"I'm really good, just dropping off a few christmas gifts that I picked up the other day." Jim moved closer to his daughter, and looked closer at the girl in her arms. "A baby looks natural in your arms, Katie. If I didn't know any better I would've thought she was yours." Kate's lips curled up slightly in a smile that matched his almost to a t.

"She's such a sweetheart." She replied, leaning into Jim very softly. Her father absently wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and held her close, like he had since she had been just a little older then Izzy. "Her aunt's coming to get her on Monday. I'm gonna miss her."

"Maybe someday you'll have one of your own." He replied, and she looked up at him.

"You think so?"

"Maybe." She looked down at the little girl, whose bottom lip was stuck out in a pout. It made her giggle, and then she exhaled softly.

"Maybe someday."

AN: Okay, honestly I don't like this chapter and I have no clue where this story's going. But I hope you all liked it! Please leave reviews, and tell me where you want this story to go!

xoxo,

J


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